Review by Simon Jenner, August 12 2026
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
How can the Brighton Theatre Group top what they’ve achieved? Whether Oliver! or Les Misérables, where they were selected as one of 11 top amateur groups across the country by Cameron Mackintosh. Or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? One star of that – Carl Lovejoy – is back here, amongst others. And the answer is a revival. The Sherman Brothers’ 1968 musical of Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang staged by Jeremy Sams was first staged by BTG in 2019. It was extraordinary then. It runs till Sunday 16 August again directed by Michael Burnie.
The overture and first numbers remind us how strong the musical material is, and though they added a few more for the stage (some less memorable), the high hit-rate of the Sherman brothers songs is remarkable. Directed by Dan Lacey, the orchestral playing and choral singing as well as panache of individuals is superb. They’re tangy and unafraid.
Photo Credit: Miles Davies
Many of us might recall from the film how this evergreen tale of Edwardian neverland never palls. It’s where poor inventor Caractacus Potts (Carl Lovejoy) strikes gold with a hair-cutting invention by accident (better for Richard Harris-Smith’s – whisper it – “Mr Matthews” turkeys, plucking and roasting in one). Selling it for 30 shillings Caractacus rescues the eponymous broken-down car (from Jake Beniston’s nasty Junk Man, to the relief of Nick Jordan’s affable mechanic Coggins) to the delight of his children Jeremy (a clear-voiced Aaryan Wilmot on this occasion) and Jemima (Georgia Burns) and sets about transforming it. Wilmot (particularly) and Burns fully deserve accolades. Both Jordan and (hiss) Beniston spar as opposites in Vulgaria. It’s a feature of this production.
“You Two” with Lovejoy leading is winningly done with the children, and again their panache and professionalism is what you expect from professionals. Lovejoy is very slightly close-miced, and his naturally adamantine diction is as clear as salt-crystal. As ever Lovejoy commands the stage, eve, as here, the mild-mannered Potts. “You Three” is “Grandpa” Steve Emery’s own echo of the same material. Emery in fact reprises his 2019 role. He’s also called Caractacus Potts and it won’t help him at all. Similarly the magical “Hushabye Mountain” shows Lovejoy’s range: confiding and intimate as well as heroic. Lovejoy’s ability to draw sweetness too is wrought in his vocal projection.
After a few run-ins, finally with her motorcycle’s gasket, Caractacus wins the heart of Truly Scrumptious (Kiarnie Camp), daughter of the sweet magnate after nearly selling Toot Sweets to her father (a stentorian Wain Douglas, also Sid at the village), upset by a sudden spurt of dogs (a total of six per night, all cute, led by Marco as Edison). Katherine Jonson-Miller is briefly forbidding as Lord Scumptious’ nasty PA and later on, appropriately, Sid’s wife Violet – another canny instance of pairing actors in two sets of roles. Alice Pickering flinches as Miss Phillips’ put-upon Assistant.
Camp possesses an attractive sweet-toned voice that exudes a cushioned warmth with rock-solid intonation. She also enjoys a ringing top-range. She uses it to memorable effect, after the mutual love-in of ”Truly Scrumptious” where she sings with Jemima and Jeremy. First there’s “Lovely, Lonely Man” a so-so addition from Act Two, but later again in her “Doll on a Music Box” Camp gets a number worthy of her. It’s a standout: a virtuoso pointillistic number with dotted rhythms and nowhere to hide, both physically and vocally. She certainly doesn’t need to.
”Toot Sweet” is another massive ensemble winner, and the optics of this piece with its backdrops and huge onstage grouping is the first of the big-choreograph numbers. Later another couple of very different numbers: “Me Ol’ Bamboo” led by Lovejoy’s and Emery’s ‘POSH’ with the children almost stupefy with the number of good tunes that have lodged in many of us since childhood. Emery’s dark baritone is another vocal delight.
And there’s the Vulgarian spies (Dean Cowland’s Boris, Goran’s Philip Lloyd-Davies, uproariously rude in “Act English” who after several attempts capture Emery’s ‘Grandpa’ the inventors’ father by mistake: since naturally they share a name, and make him work for Vulgaria. No reflection on either spy, but the material drags a little and doesn’t add much to the show: which runs to two shours 45. Except a blissful bit of puppetry with a balloon (very Thirty-Nine Steps: and look out for a miniature car later). Luckily the intrepid Cowland and particularly Lloyd-Davies enjoy some theatre business with the audience. Perhaps they’ll enjoy smarter roles next time.
Cowland and Lloyd-Davies not only sing but must characterize their way through thickets of hapless-villain gags like “number two?” “here?” and more risqué ones. There’s a layer children will get and there’s adult humour broadly hinted at. Which children will get.
Whereupon the picnicking quartet (Truly bonding after a Vulgarian ship fires on them by the Sussex seaside) set off in pursuit: cue Chitty’s hitherto-unsuspected floating and flying gifts straight off Beachy Head. We know she’s a magic car responding to “please” but even her renovator hadn’t quite bargained on that. End of Act One, where Joe Wailes’ lighting is as spectacular as the effects, in particular evoking seashore lights and the darkened car.
Rob Piatt’s sound effects are punchy and fun; Ben Lawrence’s overall sound design too. There was some aural congestion around the orchestra which will be fixed after the first night.
Photo Credit: Miles Davies
Only to discover something from the Toy Maker (the vocally appealing Nick Jordan again, here in a more substantial role than Coggins). Vulgaria’s a place where children are banned and inventors locked up by a paradoxically childish Baron Bomburst (a vocally superb Gary Lynn) and his child-hating Baroness (equally fine Jodie Michele). They’re both horribly good at saccharine and in “Chu-Chi Face” and “Bombie Samba” let you know just how. Lynn and Michele almost persuade you they’re the injured ones, they’re that good: and their numbers leading the outstanding dancers in the Samba are stunning.
And there’s a rescue of more than the two children from Jake Beniston’s larger role as wickedly OTT Child-Catcher (they’re led astray by promises of ice-cream and treacle tart). 15 in fact, slightly slimmer than the stupefying 24 last time. That’s when children hidden in sewers by the Toy Maker rise up with Caractacus II and Truly who lead a revolution (with the quite good though not top-drawer “Teamwork” number) with the disguised Caractacus and Truly, who leads off – as mentioned earlier – with one of the best songs “Doll On a Music Box”. It’s beautifully counterpointed too by Lovejoy and Camp.
Grandpa decides after all to stay on with new inventor chums with their fantastic tap-dancing routines: Archie Brooks, Jamie Cox, Lenny Hannam, James Kiley, Ashton Storey earlier memorable with their upbeat, catchy “Roses of Success” number. Marcus Truman pairs the put-upon Chef with military flunky Victor.
Is the word amateur used? This production beats most touring musicals. Standards are phenomenally high, including staging. Michael Burnie’s direction is a miracle of crisp élan involving over 75 cast-members. There’s consummate musical direction by Dan Lacey and his band, the all-important choreography’s by Jodie Michele, with Magnus Sorensen Youth Cast MD and Keith Shepherd the Producer.
To choreograph routines of such numbers with countermarching and complex routines is extraordinary. One involving soldiers, a tiny detail of a routine where two by two they switch along a crocodile and counter-march two-deep, though differently. The dancers and ensemble listed below are West-End standard – their Samba number alone establishes this but the dizzying change and standard of costumes too. As one director pointed out, the standard of choreography and execution than several touring productions.
Lighting and set staging in collaboration with Theatre Royal and members of the company is exemplary. Lighting in particular proves striking, shady moments of atmospheric night melds with deployment of dry ice. It’s a pity these aren’t credited.
Though costumes and the all-important Chitty car have been hired, there’s a vivid overall rationale with a range of costumes (veering to purple violet and fuschia) and backdrops with one all-important video projection of racing cars; and several stills.
There’s some wonderful effects and the detail’s ravishing. Many of the film’s tropes are taken and it’s luxury costuming to see the car ‘zoom’ past runners a cluster of “Votes For Women” feminists and others, and repeat the same. The 18 dancers as well as 21 ensemble (both very slightly trimmed from last time) run through all kinds of costume and routines. One of the dancers – James Kiley – was a Jeremy back in 2019; proof of BTG’s nurturing talent. Some have gone on to world fame.
It’s the non-stop detail with consistently high standards that renders this show special. An outstanding production. Don’t even think of journeying to the West End. Booking’s tight so don’t even hesitate.
Dancers Jacqueline Anderson, Archie Brooks, Tegan Browne-Felpts, Maia Columbini, Jamie Cox, Rosa Farringdon, Jess Griffiths, Lenny Hannam, Lily Harris-Smith, James Kiley, Holly Klassen, Grace Riach, Amelia Smith, Ashton Storey, Lena Tsavari, Ellie Walker. Swings Mai Arditi, Isabel Holley.
Ensemble Mai Arditi, James Bolton, Anna Carey, Emma Carter, Wain Douglas, Robin Hodges, Isabel Holley, Soli Hougham, Katherine Johnson-Miller, Tim Laker, Darcey Lamoreux, William Middlewright, Alice Pickering, Amy Russo, Mat Shoorman, Naomi Slater, Richard Harris-Smith, Thaddeus Simpson-Naylor, Marcus Truman, Sarah Walker, Lamorna Webb.
Team Toot Toby (Cosmo Abraham-Cubitt), Susan (Phoebe Mason), Greta (Phoenix Pannnu), Stephen (William Barber), Marta (Olivia Surrey), Solo Girl (Sylvia Bennett), Solo Boy (Isaac Jeffrey), Natasha Abraham-Cubitt, Harry Alexander, Eoin Pickering, Darcey Rushton, Teddy Simmons, Lonnie Tia-Chidlow, Emily Tutt.
Photo Credit: Miles Davies